Investigators said Newark officers interrupted an armed robbery on S. 13th Street near 16th Ave around 1:00 p.m..
The officers pursued two suspects, at least one of whom was armed with a gun.
Back up units responded, and one unit spotted the suspects near the intersection of 16th Avenue and South 17th Street fleeing Westside Park.
The patrol car cut off the path of one suspect, but he continued to run directly towards the police vehicle with weapon in hand.
"He was coming towards the cruiser with a gun in his hand. The officer fired a shot, hitting him in the abdomen," Newark Police Director Garry McCarthy said.
Police recovered the suspect's weapon at the scene.
The wounded suspect was taken to UMDNJ, where he later died.
Ballistic evidence from the scene is still being processed to determine whether or not the suspect also fired at the officer, police said.
The officer, who was not struck by gunfire, was also transported to UMDNJ for minor lacerations to the hand as a result of the window of the patrol car being shattering during the shooting.
The second suspect remains at large.
No names have been released.